Lord of Fire: #1 The Fire Chronicles

by Susi Wright

  Luminor stayed tied to the adder’s neck, just behind its head, keeping out of range of the monster’s breath, while he changed his influence over its mood, to more appropriate confusion, now using the animal’s own fear and rage against it. Suddenly it lurched towards a tunnel entrance, trying to find an escape, instead striking the rock face with its head, partly blinded and crazed with pain. Blood from its pierced eyelid was running into the good eye, blurring all vision. The next moment, it coiled back to one corner of the cave, sending fiery blasts first to one side of the space, then the other as if it was trying to burn an army. The heat was almost unbearable in the confines of the cavern, the glow-worms that had tried to shelter by squeezing into cracks just large enough for their fat bodies began to pop and sizzle, the fluorescent green bodily fluids bubbling and streaming down the cave walls.

  In that moment, Luminor became aware that the time had come for him to face the fire of the adder head-on, so he freed his hand and swooped down in front but just out of range of the flaming breath. He felt its deadly heat on his face several times, as it flared randomly in his direction. The beast was so enraged with pain, determined to annihilate the perpetrator, but frantic from blindness and added confusion, that flames suddenly began to pour without pause from its mouth, licking malevolently at Luminor’s body, before he nimbly dodged out of reach every time.

  Keeping his eyes on the beast, he focussed on the Fire itself, the source of the Fire. Unafraid and resolute, he was summoning all the strength in his being, to truly become lord of this, the most volatile of the elements.

  Feeling this special power begin to surge from way back, through the Ancestors, through his grandfather, then his father, to him in the present moment, he directed the flames to return to their supernatural source. They would not go easily, fighting against his will, flaring dangerously towards him, time and again. The Fire, fuelled by the adder’s evil intent, seemed to take on a life of its own, outside the monster that breathed it!

  Luminor’s pure and clear intention to deliver this country and all its inhabitants from fiery destruction created the channel through which flowed an increasing tide of power. He just needed to focus, a well-practised skill, but now with this new energy. He felt the shift as the flames began to retreat, then advance, then retreat a little further. He continued drawing on the Supreme Power of the Ancient Realm flowing freely to him, and used his own energy to direct it. Strength, control, magic surged through him in a torrent driving back the flames. Then, with shocking intensity, the fire seemed to implode towards the flame adder as it screamed shrilly, its own fire consuming it from the inside out, the acrid smell of burning flesh and smoke filling the space, just before its body exploded into burning chunks and red slime, splattering the floor and walls of the cave, and Luminor, with the stinking remnants of its existence.

  Luminor, breathing hard, wiped a slime-covered piece of charred scale from his face, and slumped to the ground, physically and mentally exhausted. He lay there face down for a few minutes recovering, knowing Altor would sense it was time to set the men to clearing the tunnels, and he could make his way out. When he heard the movement of earth and debris, and a blessed gust of fresh air was purposely sent to clear his nostrils of the stench, he dragged himself to his feet, retrieved a large piece of the flame adder’s bony skull, still covered in scales, as a trophy, and moved to the tunnels where some of his men would be advancing, ready to help though he had not seemed to need them.

  Making a sad note of the probable number of victims this monster had killed or eaten, as he passed by the trampled pile of corpses, he offered up a silent prayer for his fallen brothers, and made his way out from the carnage, into the open air, joined by his men along the way.

  As he emerged from the cave, sucking another deep reviving breath of cool night air, the charred trophy in his grasp, elation welled within him. He was victorious! They were victorious! His dear brother Altor, his loyal men, and the one lone human were gathered at the cave entrance to receive him, applauding and chanting ceremoniously, ‘Lord of Fire! Lord of Fire!’ It echoed across the valley, a litany for their victory, for their sacrifice. As one, Altor and all the other warriors knelt in respect for Luminor in his accomplishment, but also for their lost comrades. Surprisingly, so did their guest. Luminor addressed him first, beckoning him to his feet. ‘Sir Envoy, you will take the truth of these events to the governor?’

  ‘By the Ancestors! I will!’ he exclaimed. Beside Luminor, Altor commented wryly, in their native tongue, ‘For a human, he seems to have very few words! Or, he is admirably religious!’ Altor was referring to the fact that he had scarcely uttered anything different for hours. That sliver of lightness served to help just a little, when their hearts were heavy.

  To Thomass, Luminor added, ‘In detail, I trust? You are our only witness!’ managing a small smile now, confident that human verbosity would prevail. Not yet aware of the Gaian loss, since he had been on the opposite side of the mountain, the man smiled widely back, an excited twinkle in his eyes, bowing slightly in deference. He was, most obviously, dumbstruck for the moment, but would soon recover on returning to the Capital and no doubt enjoy immensely the telling and retelling of the tale!

  The Gaian warriors needed no words of thanks; Luminor’s gratitude was obvious to all of them. In their hearts, they knew that no victory came without sacrifice. There had been a grievous cost. Accepting that, they were satisfied that prophecy had been fulfilled by their lord, and he had returned to them unscathed, if somewhat smelly and covered in slime, but undeniably victorious!

  The star-speckled blackness of the night sky above them, cleared by a lofty breeze, was just giving way to the blue and rose-pink of first light, on the far horizon of peaks to the east. The pall of smoke still hung like a blue-grey mantle on the lowlands, some woodland yet smouldered, but the awful, raging flames were gone, and it was still and quiet with promise. As they surveyed the scene, slowly turning their gazes homeward, these nomads at last recognising it as home, they were well aware, Gaian and human alike having paid the price, that this dawn signalled the vanguard of a new era for them all.

  Chapter Thirty-five

  Setting off for the Capital that morning, after a simple meal of dried biscuits, provided its own albeit small challenge. Their guest Thomass had been adamant he did not want to ride by samblar to the city, but fly tandem with Altor, maintaining his reason was to return as fast as everyone else to give his report. But Altor suspected it was more that he wanted to experience cloak-flying again. Explaining that long distances were not possible with that burden of weight did little to curb his enthusiasm and insistence.

  Aware that this was just the beginning of a long relationship with humans that would require much patience, Luminor decided to overlook his childish excitement, and humour him with a compromise. This required the arrangement of a relay of warriors, who would carry him, in turn, part of the distance to the city. Appealing to Thomass’ sense of reason that even this concession would slow their progress quite considerably, it was agreed he would transfer to samblar where other clan members held some of the animals, not too far away, and those men would accompany him for the ride to the Capital. Luminor and his warriors would cloak it on a fast wind to the outskirts of the city, where the delegation had left their mounts. The small group would go on ahead to give the news, the main contingent waiting in the forest for further orders.

  Luminor was in a hurry to meet with the government, report the completion of his quest, and get formalities and obligations over with, so that he could at long last follow his heart, and find Fralii.

  As he flew, he allowed his thoughts to fill with the glorious memory of her, a healing balm to his soul after the mayhem and killing. After the Capital, he would head straight for Splendo, hoping he would find her in better spirits, hoping he could make her understand.

  A superfast carrier pigeon had been released to the Capital, immediately after Luminor emerged victorious from the cave. A marv
el of genetic selection, the pigeon was by far the fastest airborne creature in the known world. Even without wind assistance, it would arrive a short time ahead of them. The message read,

  Lord Luminor has vanquished the flame adder. Be prepared to receive him. I will follow. Thomass.

  In a very short time, Luminor and the main contingent of Gaians arrived in the forest outside the Capital. The arrangement for the delegation to be seen returning on samblars was another precaution, until a full description of their skills and methods could be explained and confirmed by Thomass, when he arrived in a day or so. Luminor expected the group on samblar-back would be riding hard.

  The small group accessed the main road in the forest, setting their mounts at full gallop for the few short furlongs to the barbican gates of the city. They were spotted by the watchmen, six riders crossing the open ground at breakneck speed, easily identifiable even from that distance, their long feather cloaks flapping out over the backs of their samblars. Luminor was in the lead, his long blonde hair flowing in the wind, starkly distinguished from the others by his unique jet-black mantle billowing around his shoulders.

  The city burst into excited movement, at the announcement of their approach; the news of the death of the flame adder had reached them an hour ago, and the people were joyfully expecting the Gaians and their brave lord to arrive. Preparations had already begun for a celebration feast. The reception party had been appointed, comprised of the most important members of the government. They were ready, but this was much sooner than they had expected!

  Within minutes, citizens were gathering in the portal courtyard, jostling for a view of their mysterious hero, and his army. The government officials on their samblars were at the forefront of the welcoming crowd, as Luminor pulled his sweat-flecked mount to a halt inside the gates, snorting and blowing, its large nostrils flared and puffing steam from the exertion. His men arrived likewise, skidding to a stop just behind him. Luminor sat astride his panting samblar, serious and proud, in full view of the city folk, the scaled trophy, the size of two shields, tied before him on the saddle.

  The crowd exploded into a cacophony of cheering and calling his name, which lasted several minutes until an official quieted them so the governor could address him formally.

  ‘Lord Luminor, welcome! Congratulations on your victory! You have indeed proved your worth! We will honour our part of the agreement. Your people will be citizens of Baram!’

  Luminor could not contain the brilliant smile which conveyed his thanks.

  More cheering and applause followed them, as they picked their way through the throng to the council chambers, this time not as curiosities, but as heroes.

  The governor, riding beside Luminor, commented quietly to him alone, ‘You know, we did not expect you till at least… tomorrow evening . . .’

  Luminor smiled broadly at him, deciding to use the smallest amount of prevarication for now, and replied honestly, ‘We are fast…’ He patted his mount’s sweaty neck. ‘Our samblars are strong and very fast!’

  The governor chuckled affably, ‘Well, Baram’s stables would benefit from some of that stock, I must say! Perhaps we could come to some agreement on that score?’ His growing interest in the samblars was evident in his next question, ‘How fast are they?’

  Luminor nodded agreeably, pretending not to understand the question rather than say any more.

  Governor Rand and his councillors, even the previously cynical ones, seemed to be equally happy to receive Luminor and his delegation. A huge celebration had been organised for the following night. The whole city would participate, singing, dancing, and drinking in the streets. Luminor and his entourage were expected to lead the official parade down the main street to the feasting hall, where a sumptuous evening meal would be served to invited and honoured guests, and Lord Luminor would be given the key to the city.

  ‘Lord Luminor,’ said the chancellor of citizenships, ‘when will you bring the remainder of your army to receive our thanks? We hope they will attend the feast. How many shall we expect?’

  Lumi replied, ‘Tomorrow. There will be just forty warriors.’ He thought, with a wave of sadness, of those lost.

  The chancellor had been very concerned how many new individuals he was going to have to issue with parchments of citizenship. Each one had to be handwritten in fine calligraphy. So he pressed on. ‘And tell me, sir, how many number your people,’ he waved his arms expansively, ‘in total?’ hoping his comfortable job was not about to become overwhelming, moreover that their city was not about to be overrun by foreigners.

  Luminor thought carefully. He had never before had to count the clan, so using his perceptive link with them, he guessed as close as he could. ‘I am aware of about one hundred and fifty men, women and a few children,’ he supplied, ‘apart from the warriors.’

  The chancellor raised his eyebrows, surprised, then quickly tried to cover the intense relief which followed. He had feared there might be thousands of these nomads to deal with.

  The governor interrupted in disbelief, ‘An army of just forty warriors to destroy that monster? Did you lose many? It killed entire battalions of our soldiers! How is that possible? I want a full report on how you accomplished it!’

  Luminor knew what he was about to do was momentous, historical, even precarious, given the reputation of previous dealings with the human population. Nonetheless, prophecy had dictated the time was right. His own perception told him the government was predominantly honourable, except for one member, a military man whom he had already detected as being duplicitous. He would continue to watch him carefully. His people needed acceptance, and to belong somewhere, a chance to survive.

  He began, ‘I trust you are ready to hear this. It will not be easy to accept. You must not fear it. Envoy Thomass witnessed all. He is very impressed!’ He looked each in the eye as they all sat watching expectantly. He placed the piece of skull on the table, the undeniable proof of his victory. ‘As I told you before, we have special skills. And we are very good at what we do. Tactics played a part, but I lost six good warriors!’

  ‘Special skills? What skills?’ asked one of the members.

  ‘You only lost six!’ exclaimed another.

  To Luminor, six might as well have been six hundred; Gaian numbers were dwindling far too fast as it was. He did not expect humans to understand this yet.

  ‘My people understand and control elements of Nature… earth, air, water… sometimes mood energy.’ He deliberately and prudently left out the Supreme Power that he alone possessed. ‘Altor and my warriors worked together to trap the flame adder in its lair with me. I fought it, injured and confused it,’ the next was not a lie, ‘caused it… to burn itself to death. Its own evil… consumed it.’ Caution was wise. He would first give the alliance time to flourish. He could reveal more later.

  The assembly sat in stunned silence for several moments. This was a great deal to accept. These people were supernaturals? Was there really such a race? One of the older members, the most senior, whispered to another about a vague memory of legend or myth, from his early childhood, suggesting a possible element of truth here. These Gaians certainly had a strange appearance, the most obvious feature that all had such vivid-coloured eyes, oddly glowing, and brilliant blonde hair of different shades, when all Baramese had dark, either brown or black. Their native dress was unique, and unfamiliar to even the well-travelled amongst the council. One could be forgiven for assuming they had hailed from a far distant land, if it was not true that they had been in hiding, as they claimed, in a remote corner of Baram for many years.

  That these Gaians had accomplished an impossible feat, and with so few, not to mention Lord Luminor single-handedly killing the flame adder, there seemed no other likely explanation than such magic.

  Governor Rand stood up, always the statesman, dignified though undoubtedly a little shaken by Luminor’s claims. ‘Lord Luminor, there is no doubt that you have delivered this country and all its people from the worst
threat in history! We are in your debt. That is the truth. We will wait for Thomass to assure us of the rest, for the sake of any individual here who may doubt. I, for one, believe you to be sincere, a brave and worthy leader of your clan. Your good intention is proven. Your people are welcome here!’

  The assembly applauded in hearty agreement, the governor adding, ‘For now, please accept our hospitality. Refresh, rest. I offer you accommodation in my villa. We will discuss many other things at tomorrow night’s feast!’

  With that, the meeting was adjourned and the governor’s aide showed the delegation to their quarters, in a sumptuously comfortable wing of Rand’s own mansion, which adjoined the council chambers.

  As Luminor walked, with his men, to their opulent accommodations, he wondered how long the pomp and ceremony would last, aware that his obligations as lord must take precedence, as personally tedious as that was. But still, he could not deny the intense longing that had never diminished, in fact burned brighter with each passing day, to be reunited with his soulmate.

  Chapter Thirty-six

  The expected length of time for sleeping in this human habitation seemed interminable to Luminor. Conversely, Altor and the other warriors seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the relaxation and luxury.